torture

2003 poster of fugitives wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR)

Torture remains prevalent in too many countries, UN warns

26 June 2010
Too many countries are still practising or tolerating “cruel, degrading and illegal” acts of torture, top United Nations officials said today as they pledged the UN's solidarity with the millions of torture victims worldwide.
Special Rapporteur Manfred Nowak

Cuban visit will not take place, says UN expert on torture as he voices frustration

9 June 2010
The United Nations independent expert on torture said today he was deeply disappointed that he will not be able to visit Cuba to carry out a fact-finding mission this year because the country’s authorities declined to consent to any of the dates he had proposed for the mission.

Torture still rife 25 years after adoption of treaty banning it, UN experts warn

10 December 2009
Although 146 States of the 192 Member States of the United Nations ratified or acceded to the international convention outlawing torture, the practice is still rife worldwide 25 years after the treaty’s adoption, the UN Committee against Torture warned today.

Detention conditions for a majority of prisoners deplorable – UN human rights expert

20 October 2009
A United Nations human rights expert today called for the adoption of a global convention to protect the rights of people in detention, warning that far too many States are failing to meet their obligations to respect the basic dignity of prisoners.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

UN human rights chief hails Swiss approval of torture pact, enabling greater vigilance

25 September 2009
The top United Nations human rights official today welcomed a milestone on the road to end torture after Switzerland became the 50th State to ratify a key global treaty into law.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay

UN human rights chief welcomes US investigation into alleged CIA abuses

25 August 2009
The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, has welcomed the decision by the United States Attorney-General to appoint a special prosecutor to look into whether Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) officers and contractors broke US laws while conducting interrogations outside the US, including at Guantanamo Bay.
High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay

UN officials urge States to put an end to torture on International Day for victims

26 June 2009
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon led United Nations officials in calling on governments to go on the offensive in the fight against torture, stressing there can be no justification under any circumstances for such “cruel, degrading and inhuman treatment,” in a message marking the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture.
Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Torture allegations in Kazakhstan concern UN rights expert

13 May 2009
While lauding the efforts made by authorities in Kazakhstan to improve conditions in prisons and other facilities, an independent United Nations expert today expressed his concerns about allegations of torture in the Central Asian nation.
Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

UN rights expert urges Uruguay to end ‘appalling’ prison conditions

27 March 2009
Concluding his visit to Uruguay today, a United Nations human rights expert said he could not find hard evidence of torture, but urged action against what he called other “large-scale human rights violations” in detention facilities.
Manfred Nowak, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment

Torture is rife in Equatorial Guinea’s prisons, says UN expert

19 November 2008
Detainees kept in police custody in Equatorial Guinea are victims of systematic torture, and prisoners suffer inhuman conditions, an independent United Nations human rights expert said in a press statement today, blaming a break down in the country’s judicial system.